Territory



(No Model.)

I. LAWSON.

I KNIFE O'LBANER. No. 333,761.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I SHMAEL LAWSON, OF BUTTE, MONTANA TERRITORY.

KNIFE-CLEANER.

EBPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 333,761, dated January5, 1886. Application filed January 5, 1885. Serial No. 152,088. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ISHMAEL LAWSON, of Butte, county of Silver Bow, andMontana Territory, have invcnted an Improvement in Knife-Cleaners; and Ihereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof.

My invention relates to a new and useful knife cleaner; and it consistsin the combination of devices, which I shall hereinafter fully explainand claim.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and effective deviceor machine by which knives may be readily and rapidly cleaned.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, the figure is a perspective viewof my machine.

A is a frame, having at one end standards B, in which are mounted therollers C C. These rollers lie parallel with each other,and may be madeof any suitable material, preferably of rubber. The upper roller isprovided with a shaft, 0, one end of which projects beyond the standardand receives the operating-crank D. The lower roller is fixed in thestandard; but the upper roller is made to be vertically adjusted bymeans of the sliding bearingblocks E and thumb-screws e on the top ofthe standards. By means of these screws the upper roller may be forceddown upon or as close to the lower roller as may be desirable. The endsof both rollers are provided with gears F,which mesh directly together,whereby the rollers rotate in opposite directions.

Fitted in grooves 11 in the sides of the frame are racks G, with whichpinions 9 upon the shaft of the lower roller engage, whereby as therollers rotate, the racks are at the same time reciprocated. Upon therear ends of the racks is secured a carriage, H, which carries thehandle-clamp I, which consists of a bedpiece, m, hinged at its forwardend to the carriage and provided at its rear end with a handle, m. 1nthe sides of the bed-piece is pivoted or hinged the top piece or cam, n,which is provided with a handle, a. The top n is adapted to bear downupon the bed-piece, and the impinging surfaces of both pieces arecushioned by means of any suitable elastic layer, such as rubber, hereshown by 0.

The operation of the device is as follows:

Suitable cleaning compound or substance the coinpositiouof which dependsupon the knife to he cleaned-is placed upon the rollers C O. The handleof the knife is placed between the two parts of the clamp I, which arebound down upon it by the operatorgrasping the handles m n. The blade oftheknile projects in the direction of the rollers. \Vith the other handthe operator then turns the crank, whereby revolution is imparted to therollers, and at the same the carriage, with its clamp, and the knifemove in the direction of the rollers. As the knife approaches therollers, the operator springs the clamp in such a manner as to directthe blade accurately between the rollers. The operation is thencontinued until the blade has been forced through between the rollers,when the crank is reversed and the blade is forced to withdraw. Theclamp is then released and the knife taken out.

-It will be observed that by reason of the rollers being geared directlytogether, and the gearing between the lower roller and the racks being adirect one, the carriageis moved toward the rollers when they arerotating in the direction of the arrows, whereby they would naturallyrefuse to receive the blade between them. This is the effect desired,because through the positive forward movement of the carriage the bladeis forced between them and fed forward against their direction ofrevolution, whereby the necessary rubbing or friction is effected. Thereverse movement of the rollers has a similar effect. The carriage movesback, carrying the knife with it, the blade of which is drawn againstthe direction of revolution of the rollers. The carriage and clamp thusbecome a positive feeding device, as well as a guide.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a knife-cleaner, the combination of oppositelyrotating parallelrollers upon which the cleaning composition or substance is placed, andadapted to receive and rub the knife-blade between them, a travelingcarriage moving to and from the rollers, and operated thereby in adirection opposite to their direction of revolution, and a clamp for theknife-handle to feed the blade between the rollers, said clamp beinghinged upon the carriage, whereby it is adapted to be adjusted through avertical arc to guide the blade to the rollers, substantially as hereindescribed.

2. In a knil'ecleaner, theknifehandleclamp I, consisting of a bed, m,having a handle, in, and the pivoted or hinged top or cam 01,, adaptedto bear down upon the bed, and having a handle, 12, by which and handlem the compression is effected, substantially as described.

3. In aknife-cleaner, theknife handle clamp I, consisting of thecushioned bed m, having handle m, and the pivoted cushioned top or cam11, having handle a, and adapted to bear down upon the cushioned bed,substantially as described 4. In a knife-cleaner, the combination of theoppositelyrotating parallel rollers O C, the reciprocating carriage H,moving oppositely to the direction of revolution of the rollers, and theadjustable handle-clamp I, consisting ofthe bed m, hinged to thecarriage, and the top or cam 02, hinged to the bed, all arranged tooperate substantially as herein described.

5. In a knife-cleaner, the combination of the parallel rollers G G,having gears F, meshing directly together, the carriage H. the hingedhandle-clamp I on the carriage, and the means for reciprocating saidcarriage in a direction opposite to the direction of revolution of therollers, consisting of the racks G of the carriage, and pinions g on thelower roller, 0, substantially as herein described.

6. The frame A, having standards B, and the parallel rollers O O,mounted therein and geared directly together, in combination with thecarriage H, the hinged o'r-adjustable handle clamp I on the carriage,the racks G, to which the carriageis secured, and mounted in the sidesof the frame, and the pinions g on the lower roller meshing with theracks, substantially as herein described.

7. A machine for cleaning knives, consisting of the frame A, havingstandards 13, the vertically-adjustable upper roller, 0, having shaft 0and crank D, the fixed lower roller, 0, the gears F, by which therollers are connected, and the pinions g on the lower roller, thecarriage H, the knife-clamp I, consisting ofthe handled bed m, hinged tothe carriage, and the handled top or cam 12, hinged to the bed, and theracks G, on which the carriage is mounted, and with which the pinions 9engage, all arranged and operating substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ISHMAEL LAWSON.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM T. MAULDIN, GILBERT ENGEL.

